Читать книгу A Daughter’s Return - Janet Barton Lee - Страница 10
ОглавлениеAfter the excitement of the afternoon, it only took a few minutes for Jenny to go to sleep. And, once asleep, her daughter usually didn’t stir until Rebecca woke her the next morning. Even so, she was sure her mother would slip upstairs and check on Jenny in her absence.
She smiled as she freshened up before meeting Ben. Her mother seemed overjoyed to have them finally at Heaton House and Rebecca felt the same way. She wished she could make up for the lost years. But she couldn’t, and she’d do her best to never put her family through the kind of pain they’d endured during those years thinking they might never find her.
She splashed water on eyes that suddenly filled with tears. Her family had forgiven her; even more important, the Lord had forgiven her. One day, she hoped and prayed she’d be able to forgive herself for what she’d put them through.
Rebecca dried her face and let out a deep breath. Until then she would go forward, thanking the Lord for seeing to it that she and her family were reunited and for all the blessings in her life.
She quickly neatened her hair, smoothing back an errant strand, then went to kiss Jenny’s sweet brow before heading downstairs to the back parlor— excitement warring with nervousness. She reached her mother’s study and peeked in.
Her mother glanced up from her desk and smiled. “Jenny asleep?”
“She is.”
“I’ll check on her in a bit.”
“I know you will.” Rebecca smiled at her mother and crossed the room to kiss her cheek. “I’ve caught you coming in to check on the two of us.”
Her mother nodded. “I still can’t believe you’re both here. I love you, Becca.”
“I love you, too, Mama. I’m sor—”
Her mother lifted her hand and sliced the air in a way that told Rebecca no more needed to be said. “Becca, the past is just that and we’re going forward now, remember? I’m so glad you want to take business courses. I understand you want to know you can make your own way and if you ever feel you must, I want you to be able to find a position that will make doing so easier on you. And until then, I’ll enjoy your help with Heaton House. I’m sure Ben is a great teacher. I’ve heard wonderful things about him.”
“I’m relieved he’s willing to help me until I can enroll for the next term. He’s going out of his way to make this easier for me.”
“As long as I’ve known Ben, he has always reached out to help anyone in need. He’s a good man.”
Rebecca nodded. Although she couldn’t imagine putting her complete trust in another man ever again, she did realize there were a few good ones out there. “Guess I’d better go see if he’s waiting for me. I don’t want to take up any more of his time than I need to.”
She hurried out the door and down to the back parlor, but Ben wasn’t there yet. Rebecca let out an uneven breath, unsure of why she felt so jittery. She’d always done well at school and loved learning. She shouldn’t be nervous about this.
She took a seat at the round table in the middle of the room and looked around. The parlor was decorated in blues and greens and Rebecca loved it. The colors always seemed to comfort her and she and Jenny had already spent a lot of time there. During the day, the boarders were at work and the small parlor wasn’t used much at all. Her mother had set up an area to keep some of Jenny’s toys where she could get to them and Jenny loved playing there.
It would take a while to get used to living in such a large home after their apartment in the tenements, and in the meantime this parlor would work wonderfully for the two of them, as Rebecca would be able to study while Jenny played.
“I’m sorry I’m late,” Ben said from the doorway. “I had to do some hunting to find what I wanted to bring. I hope you haven’t been waiting too long.”
“No. Just a few minutes.” She smiled at him.
Ben brought a stack of books and dropped them on the table before taking a seat adjacent to her. “I suppose we need to determine what classes you might be interested in.”
“Anything that will let me take some of the work off my mother. Michael has been keeping the books for her, but now that he’s starting his own family, Mama doesn’t want to burden him with the day-to-day business.”
“I understand,” Ben said. “So, let’s start with what you already know and are accomplished at. Did you take math in school?”
“Actually, I did very well in it. I graduated at the top of my class.” For some reason, she didn’t want Ben to think she’d never finished her schooling. At least she had managed to graduate. But with a child to raise alone, her degree hadn’t helped much in finding the kind of work she needed.
“That’s a plus. I suppose you might like a course in accounting?”
“That would be wonderful.”
“What about typing? Do you want to—”
“Oh, yes! Mama said she wants to buy a typewriter like the one at the Ladies’ Aide Society, to keep up with the times, and I’d love to learn to type.”
Ben nodded. “I think you should. It’s a great skill to acquire. Many large companies hire typing pools now and I believe the future for typists will only get brighter.” He chuckled. “Maybe Mrs. Heaton would like to learn to type, too?”
Rebecca laughed. “She might, but I think mostly she wants me to learn.”
“We’ll make sure you do, then. I’ll speak to her about typewriters. The new Underwood is a wonderful machine. So right now, we’ll get you started on basic accounting—some of which you may be familiar with from high school, and then we’ll move on to advanced accounting—more in keeping with running a boardinghouse or any business.”
“That sounds wonderful.”
“Once we get you a typewriter, I’ll give you practice lessons you can do here.” He handed her a small manual. “In the meantime, look this over. There are illustrations showing the keys on the keyboard so you can become familiar with them—they will be the same no matter what typewriter your mother buys.”
“Thank you, Ben. I’m excited to get started.”
“I can tell, and I’m glad you are. It’s always easier to teach someone who wants to learn.” He pulled out a book and tablet from his stack. “The first few chapters of this math book might be familiar to you. There are problems at the end of each chapter you can work and I’ll check them tomorrow.”
Rebecca flipped through the first few pages and nodded. “I should be able to manage, although it’s been a while since I had to study.”
Ben sat back in his chair and smiled. “You’ll get caught up with the class in no time, I’m sure. And you’ll be learning other things from your mother about how she runs Heaton House, too. That should definitely be counted as a business course, for it’s directly connected to what you’ll be doing here. Hands-on experience is the very best kind.”
“Mama said she’ll start me off with the meal planning and shopping, so I know what we should be spending and can tell if we’ve been charged too much. And I need to learn how to order enough food for everyone, but not be wasteful with it.”
Ben chuckled. “She does do a wonderful job of keeping us from going hungry. Your mother is a very special woman and there isn’t anyone here who would want to live in any other boardinghouse.”
“She loves you all, you know.” And she did. Her mother’s boarders were some of the nicest people Rebecca had ever met and suddenly she realized how grateful she should be to each one of them. For, while her mother and brother had constantly searched for her, having these people in their lives must have made the wait a bit easier. Once more she fought back the guilt for what she’d put her loved ones through.
“We’re thankful for her. And we’re all very glad you and Jenny are here with her now.”
The compassion in Ben’s eyes made Rebecca wonder again how much he knew about what had happened. But she wasn’t going to ask. She gathered the books Ben had given her. “I’ve taken up enough of your time this evening. I—thank you again, Ben. For this and especially for coming to Jenny’s rescue today.”
“I’m glad to do it, Rebecca. Anytime. I’ll have a better lesson plan for you tomorrow evening.”
“All right. I’d best go check in on Jenny. Good night, Ben.”
“Good night, Rebecca.”
Something in the way Ben looked at her made Rebecca a little breathless and sent her hurrying out of the room, down the hall and up the stairs before she could give any thought to why.
* * *
The next afternoon, Ben tidied up his desk after the last class and was on his way out when one of his students knocked on the door.
“Mr. Roth? Do you have a minute?” Josh Benson asked. He was one of the orphans Ben had helped get a scholarship and would be graduating with honors at the end of the spring term.
“I always have time for you, Josh. Come on in. What can I help you with?” He pulled a chair up to his desk and motioned to the young man to take a seat.
“Well, I have some news to tell you and I want your advice about it.”
“Fill me in.”
“I’m applying for a position teaching math at the new Morris High School opening this fall, and I’d surely like an endorsement from you.”
“Are you sure this is what you want to do, Josh? Teaching isn’t the best-paying job out there, at least at first.”
“Yet, you do it. I’ve admired you for years, Mr. Roth. I want to follow in your footsteps and help others get ahead the way you do for so many.”
Ben couldn’t contain his smile. “Thank you, Josh. You will make an excellent teacher and I’ll be more than happy to give you a solid recommendation. What does Annie think about all this?” Annie was Josh’s fiancée and Ben hoped she loved Josh more than Mary Reynolds had cared for him. Ben had thought he and Mary would have a wonderful life together—until he’d proposed and Mary told him she couldn’t live on the salary of a teacher, that there would never be enough money.
A grin split Josh’s face. “She’s behind me one hundred percent, sir. She knows we won’t be making much, but she shares my dream of helping others.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Annie is an admirable young woman. Don’t let her get away.”
“I won’t.”
“I’ve got an errand to run this afternoon, but stop by tomorrow and I’ll have the recommendation ready for you.”
Both men stood and shook hands. “Thank you, sir. I appreciate everything you’ve done to help me.”
“You’re welcome. I wish you all the best.” Ben quickly locked up his room after Josh left, and headed down the stairs. He prayed things worked out well for Josh and Annie. They deserved a wonderful life together.
At the corner, Ben caught a trolley to pick up paper and extra ribbon for the typewriter he’d ordered for Mrs. Heaton at her request last night. He’d spoken with her after Rebecca went upstairs and they’d made arrangements for him to order her a brand-new Underwood. Ben eased the front door open and made sure no one was around before hurrying to Mrs. Heaton’s study. The Underwood had been delivered and Mrs. Heaton clasped her hands together and watched as he unpacked the box.
“I’m glad Rebecca was out when the delivery boy came, so we can surprise her,” Mrs. Heaton said. “I can’t wait to show it to her.”
“Neither can I.” Ben set the gleaming typewriter on her desk. “Here it is. What do you think?”
“Oh, my, it is a beauty, isn’t it?” Mrs. Heaton said.
“It’s the newest model out. I realize it cost a bit, but it should last you for years to come.”
“I’m sure it will. I want the best for Rebecca to use.”
Ben set the typewriter up, installed the ribbon and put in a sheet of paper. “Want to try it?”
Mrs. Heaton grinned. “I suppose I should find out if it works before we surprise Rebecca with it, shouldn’t I?”
She looked as excited as he hoped Rebecca would when she saw it. “Oh, I think so.”
Mrs. Heaton sat down at her desk and began to peck at the keys. “Oh! These keys are much easier to press than the one I’ve tried at the Ladies’ Aide Society! They sometimes stick.”
Ben chuckled. “Probably needs some servicing.”
“Most likely.” Mrs. Heaton tapped a few more keys and then got up from her desk. “Maybe I’ll learn how to do more than hunt and peck, too. Thank you for picking this up for me, Ben, and for getting me a good discount. We’d better get out of here before Rebecca finds out what we’re up to. I need to check on dinner, anyway. We’ll surprise her afterward.”
They had barely made it out of the study before Ben heard Jenny’s voice. “Hurry, Mama. I’m hungry!”
“I’m coming, but we can’t eat until we’re called to dinner, you know.”
“Can’t I go to the kitchen and find out what Gretchen is cooking? Do you think she’ll give me a taste?”
“She might.”
They reached the bottom of the stairs just as Ben and Mrs. Heaton did.
“Come with me, Jenny, and we’ll see how dinner is coming along.” Mrs. Heaton held out her hand.
“May I, Mama?” Jenny smiled up at her mother.
“You may. Aren’t you going to say hello to Mr. Ben, first?”
Jenny waved to him, her smile a little shy. “Hello.”
“Hello, Jenny. Have you had a nice day?” Ben asked.
She nodded. “And I didn’t try to fly down the banister today.”
“That’s good. I’m sure your mama is happy about that.”
The little girl giggled and nodded before turning to her grandmother. “Come on, Granma. Let’s hurry things up.”
“Let’s go.” Mrs. Heaton gave a little wave and they hurried off, leaving Ben and Rebecca in the foyer.
“Sounds as if you had a pretty good day since Jenny didn’t try to repeat yesterday.” Ben grinned at her.
“That child...” Rebecca smiled at him. “Yes, it’s been a nice day. I worked on the assignments you gave me and I think I did all right.”
“I’m sure you did. I’ll check them over this evening, if that works for you?”
“Whenever is convenient for you is fine with me. You’re helping me, remember?”
“I am. But I don’t have a child to take into consideration. If you need to wait until you put her down for the night, I don’t mind. It’ll give us more time anyway. I will be going to the YWCA around seven-thirty to teach for about an hour or so.”
“Oh, that will work out well for me, Ben. By the time you get back, Jenny should be asleep and I’ll be able to concentrate a little better.”
“Good. Where shall we meet?”
“I’ll be in the small parlor.”
She smiled and Ben’s chest tightened. Something about Rebecca had him not only wanting to help her but to get to know her. He told himself it was because she was his landlady’s daughter who’d had a hard time, and if he knew more about her, he’d know how to help her better.
Yes, he’d always had a soft spot for women who raised children by themselves—but he wasn’t totally sure that was all there was to it. Those women didn’t make him feel quite like this...he couldn’t name it, didn’t have any idea what to call it. He only knew he’d never felt quite this way before.
Mrs. Heaton appeared just then, with Jenny in tow, and announced dinner was ready. Other boarders hurried out of the big parlor or down the stairs to the dining room.
Ben held out both arms, thinking Mrs. Heaton would take one and Rebecca would take the other. His landlady did take an arm, but when Rebecca hesitated, Jenny rushed forward and placed her small hand inside the crook of his arm. She smiled up at him and in that moment Ben realized the little girl had claimed a very special place in his heart.
* * *
After putting Jenny to bed, Rebecca checked her hair, pinned up a few stray curls and then gathered her math book and started downstairs as the clock in the foyer chimed the half-hour.
She hurried down the hall and was surprised when both Ben and her mother came out of her study. “Rebecca! We’ve been waiting for you. Please come here for a moment before you and Ben get started on your lessons,” her mother said.
“Of course. What’s happened, Mama?”
“Well, we have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” Rebecca looked from her mother to Ben and they both grinned at her. She followed them back inside, where her mother pointed at her desk. In the center of it sat a gleaming black typewriter.
“Mama! You bought one already?” The typewriter was beautiful, big and black with gold lettering proclaiming it an Underwood.
“I did. Ben recommended this brand and said he could get one at a discount for us. It was delivered this afternoon.”
“That was very nice of you, Ben.” Rebecca turned to him. His smile seemed to be contagious and she found herself grinning back at him.
“You’re both very welcome. Now you can start those practice lessons.”
“Speaking of lessons, I’ll let the two of you get to them.”
“Thank you, Mama.” She hugged the mother, who kept showing her, in every way she could, how very happy she was to have her back in her life. “I’m going to learn quickly so we can put it to good use.”
“I’m sure you will, dear.” Her mother hugged her back. “I’ll check on Jenny and send some tea in when I get back down.”
“I’ll probably need a cup,” Rebecca said as her mother left the room.
“Well, are you going to try it out?” Ben asked.
“I suppose I should.” Rebecca sat down at the desk. There was a fresh sheet of paper in the machine and she put her hands on the keys. They were laid out exactly as the picture showed in the manual Ben had given her the night before.
She looked ahead and began to hit the keys in the order of the alphabet as she tried to remember each one’s placement on the keyboard. Once she’d hit what she hoped were all the right keys, she glanced down.
“Oh, no! It appears I’m going to need a lot of practice.”
Ben came up behind her and began to chuckle as he examined the paper.
“I don’t think it’s very funny,” Rebecca said, but she couldn’t help but join in. She’d been wrong on each and every key.
“I have an idea what the problem is. You had your hands on the wrong keys to begin with.”
“What do you mean?”
“Here, let me show you. I’m going to place your hands in the right position.” He stood behind her and leaned over one shoulder.
Rebecca wondered if he heard her quick intake of breath at his nearness. She could smell his aftershave and feel the warmth in his hands as they took hold of hers.
“Keep your thumbs free and place your fingers on the four keys on either side of the g and the h keys.”
“Like this?” Rebecca’s voice sounded breathless to her own ears as she turned to him and found his face so close to hers she saw tiny flecks of gold in his blue eyes, giving them a blue-green tint. Her heart began to beat erratically and she quickly returned her attention to the keyboard.
“Exactly like that.” Ben cleared his throat and backed away.
Rebecca could tell because some of the warmth that had been surrounding her suddenly disappeared.
“Now try again,” Ben said. “But be sure to keep your fingers on those keys when you aren’t using them.”
Rebecca took a deep breath and began to tap out each letter as she had before, only a little slower than before. She smiled when she finished. This time, she’d only missed a few letters.
“Very good,” Ben said. “You’ll get better with practice. Did you bring your math with you?”
“I did. It’s right here.” She picked up the book and the notebook she’d done her problems in from the corner of the desk and handed them to him.
“I’ll check them over while you practice and then we’ll go over your problems together.”
“All right.” Rebecca was happy trying again. Learning to master this machine had quickly become a goal and she wouldn’t settle until she had accomplished that.
She began again, trying to keep from looking over at Ben sitting in one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. It wasn’t easy to do and her next set of letters showed she’d better get her mind off the man and on to concentrating on typing. This time she looked at the fire in the grate and not Ben. And she had only two mistakes.
She smiled and tried again. And again. After about three more tries she looked over to see if Ben was still going over her math, only to find him looking at her with a smile on his face. When she thought to smile back, she realized she already was.
“You must’ve done very well, you look quite pleased with yourself,” Ben said as he got up and came over to inspect her typing.
Gretchen came in with a pot of tea for her and Ben and several cookies. “Your timing is great, Gretchen. Rebecca just finished her practice and I must say she deserves a treat. She’s had a great practice run.”
Gretchen chuckled. “That’s good. Mrs. Heaton said you might be ready for some refreshment about now.” She set the tray down, poured two cups, handed them out and made her exit.
Rebecca reached for a cookie, took her tea and went to sit in one of the chairs flanking the fireplace. Ben followed with a cookie and his cup and returned to the seat he’d vacated.
“You really did great. What did you do? Memorize the keys?”
“I worked at it today.” Rebecca sipped her tea.
“Your memory must be excellent.”
“What makes you think so?”
“You remembered your high school math quite well, too. You’re a very intelligent woman, Rebecca. You’ll have no problems at all with your courses.”
Rebecca flushed at his compliment. “Thank you. I always liked school—but I was impatient to graduate and be an adult.”
“That’s the way a lot of us were.”
“Yes, and I thought I was ready for what the world held. I had a lot of lessons to learn.” She caught her breath at her own words. What was she doing talking to him like this? She didn’t share those kinds of thoughts with anyone.
“Some lessons are difficult for us.”
She wanted to ask if he’d had to learn anything the hard way, but that would be much too nosy. She only nodded and changed the subject instead. “Do you have new assignments for me?”
“I do.” He handed her a sheet of paper. “I’ll check this tomorrow and see what progress you’re making on your typing.” He gave her a booklet. “Work on your letters tomorrow and then when you think you’re ready, this will get you started on the first real typing lesson, sentences and all. I think you’ll be ready to start your math classes at the Y next week.”
“So soon?” Rebecca asked. “Oh, I’m not sure, I—”
“You’ll do fine, I’m sure of it. You can keep doing your typing here. You’ll get more practice in working from home. As for your math, maybe next term, you might consider taking a more advanced business accounting class at the Y.”
“I—if you think I’ll be ready.”
“I do.” Ben said.
They both seemed to finish their tea and cookies at the same time. Ben stood and stretched. “I guess I’ll look in and see what’s going on in the front parlor. Are you coming in?”
She shook her head and placed their cups on the tray. “No. I’m going to take these to the kitchen and call it a day. Good night, Ben, and thank you for all your help.”
“You’re very welcome. Good night, Rebecca.”
She put her lesson books under one arm and took the tray to the kitchen, where Gretchen was kneading dough for sweet rolls the next morning.
Rebecca went down the hall to the foyer. In the front parlor, Julia was playing the piano while the others sang along. Rebecca headed up the stairs. For a moment she thought of going back and joining them. The few times she had, she’d enjoyed singing with everyone.
But she was tired. Jenny had been active all day, talking of little else than how Ben had caught her from flying off the banister the day before. Rebecca had no doubt Benjamin Roth had become her daughter’s hero in that instant.
Truth be told, he might have become Rebecca’s, too—if she didn’t know all too well how quickly a hero could turn into a villain. Sadness welled up inside. She prayed her daughter never had to learn that lesson.
